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LUCY WEBB HAYES 



H /IDemortal ^hctcb 



MRS. JOHN DAVIS, 

As Read at the Annual Meeting of the Woman's Home Mis- 
sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
HELD AT Indianapolis, November, 1889. 



poem: fTn ^emortam* 

BY 

MISS M. A. LATHBURY. 

/iDemorial paper^ 

BY 

MRS. R. S. RUST. 

DELIVERED AT SEVERAL ANNUAL MEETINGS. 



CINCINNATI : 

PRINTED BY CRANSTON & STOWE 

For the Woman's Home Missionary Society. 

1890. 



my- 
I 



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Copyright by the 

Woman's Home Missionary Society, 

1890. 



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Mientnrtal ;§kBfr^. 



BY 



MRS. JOHN DAVIS. 



;§IjB appears on ffje paitc nf Ijistorjj as an 
illnminafrti tnifial Icffpr." 



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OF 

liUGV WEBB HAYES. 



••Raised above clouds and tears, 
Into the deep serene." 

@N the 25th of June, 1889, at her home, Spiegel 
Grove, in the town of Fremont, Ohio, Lucy 
Wkbb, wife of Kx-President Hayes, peacefully 
slept away her life, and entered into the rest 
that remaineth for the people of God. Her ill- 
ness, which was apoplexy, lasted but four days; 
then came the announcement of her death. It 
sent a shock of pain and grief over the whole 
land, and even across the sea wherever her 

name was known. Letters and telegrams of 

5 



6 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

sympathy came in large numbers from the high 
and the low, the rich and the poor, the learned 
and the unlearned. The press of the country, as 
b}^ one common impulse, gave generous space to 
biographical sketches. Military, philanthropic, 
educational, and religious societies passed resolu- 
tions of respect. The State Republican Conven- 
tion, then in session at Columbus to nominate a 
governor and State officers, suspended its busi- 
ness to place upon record its esteem for the 
dead and sympathy for the living. On the 
day of her funeral every available place in 
her house was filled with fragrant blossoms, 
wreathed into beautiful emblems of affection- 
ate remembrance, — the gifts of friends and 
societies, sent from all points of the compass. 
In several of the cities and towns flags were at 
half-mast, business w^as temporarily suspended, 
and a hush as of a common grief pervaded 
the air. A vast multitude from all parts of 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 7 

her native State, as well as from many other 
States, came to look on her dear face for the last 
time. As she was borne by her sons and nephews 
out of the doors of her beautiful home, where she 
had so often beamed her welcome on the coming 
guest, followed by her husband, white and stern 
in his struggle for composure, and her j^oung, 
motherless daughter, every heart stood still, every 
face wore an expression of sorrow. 

The funeral cortege was preceded by the 23d 
Ohio Regiment, a Post of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, and the Sons of Veterans, the bands play- 
ing selections from her favorite music. She was 
followed by a great throng of sorrowing friends, 
and laid away in the earth. 

Her grave was a couch of flowers, and the 
sides up to the very top were lined with roses 
and evergreens, a faint symbol of the love that 
must find expression; a love which blended 
with a respect so wide-spread that the words 



8 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

of General Fisk were hardly an exaggeration: 
"The Nation stands with uncovered head." 
Since then there is scarcely a city or village in 
the land which has not had, through some so- 
ciet}^, memorial services in her honor. What 
had she done thus to concentrate upon her^ 
self the attention of the people? Surely there 
must have been something more than the fact 
that she had filled the highest station in the 
country to cause such profound expressions of 
interest. 

The relation she held to the Woman's Home 
Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, as well as the warm personal friendship 
which that relation rendered possible, makes it 
fitting that we should seek an answer to this 
question. Our age is artistic, literar}-, scientific, 
philosophical, ever ready to stud}' the principles 
of business and mone^'-getting. How seldom do 
we stop long enough to dwell upon the results 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 9 

of our civilization as embodied in individual 
character ! To this stud)^ we invite 3- ou for a 
few moments. If we shall be able to present 
the qualities which, when combined, made this 
dear friend, in w^hose memory we are gathered, 
so noble, so gracious, and so beloved, we shall 
spend a profitable hour. 

Besides, our societ}^ has for its chief purpose 
the educating, ennobling, and elevating of domestic 
life. It becomes our duty to seek for models, or 
ideals, that may serve as object lessons ; of whom 
we ma3^ sa}^ Here are the principles embodied, 
here is the life lived which we want you to 
imitate. If, then, in Mrs. Hayes, the president 
of our societ3^ our standard-bearer for nine years, 
we find the qualities which make her even in 
part a model, an ideal, how suitable that, though 
dead, she shall yet speak to us ! 

Before enlarging further, let us briefly review 
the principal events of her life. She was the only 



lo MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

daughter of Dr. James and Maria Cook Webb, 
and was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, August 28, 
1 83 1. On her mother's side she came of Puritan 
stock. Her grandfather, Judge Isaac Cook, and 
all four of her great-grandfathers served in the 
Revolutionary War in regiments of the Connecti- 
cut and Virginia line. Her father, Dr. Webb, 
who was of an old Virginia family, but born in 
Kentuck}^ served in the War of 181 2 as a member 
of the Kentucky Mounted Riflemen. When the 
subject of this sketch was but an infant, he died 
of cholera in I^exington, Ky., whither he had 
gone from his Ohio home for the purpose of 
manumitting the slaves of his inheritance, with 
the intention of sending them to Liberia. Mrs. 
Webb, her mother, was a woman of rare good 
sense, educated, refined, and of deep religious 
convictions. From her infancy Lucy was familiar 
with the sad and pathetic side of life. The death 
of her father almost broke the mother's heart. 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. ii 

Doubtless this familiarity with sorrow, always 
battled with, but always more or less present, had 
its influence on the child in making her the mar- 
velously tender and sympathizing woman whom 
we so profoundly mourn. 

But her sunny and joyous nature was only 
subdued, not suppressed, and perhaps few chil- 
dren have known a happier childhood. She was 
educated in part with her brothers in the Ohio 
Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, having 
been admitted as a special pupil. Her education 
was completed in the Cincinnati Wesleyan College, 
then under the charge of Rev. P. B. Wilber, a 
school of very high character, where at that 
time many of the women of Ohio, as well as 
those of neighboring States, were educated. It 
was here I first met her in the autumn of 1848. 
I am surprised at myself that after the lapse of 
so many years I distinctly recall her looks, her 
tone, her dress, and the first words she said to 



12 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

me. It must be that the intense personaHty which 
was in her so marked a feature, that which 
makes her so vividly present with us this even- 
ing, which enables us almost to hear her voice 
and rejoice in her smile as we did last year, was 
equally characteristic of her then. 




--^^^.^Mtv^- 



standing, with, reluctant feet. 
Where the brink and river meet- 
Womanhood and childhood fleet." 



She was sixteen years of age. A pure, inno- 
cent face, somewhat shy and demure in ex- 
pression, large hazel eyes capable of dancing 
with mirth or melting into tenderness, abun- 
dant dark, glossy hair, worn in a style not unlike 
that with which you are all familiar, mouth 
sweet and expressive, classically-formed nose, 
arched eyebrows, full, intellectual forehead, and 
complexion known as rose brunette. She was 
of medium height, with a slender, girlish form, 
in a dress of gray cashmere, made in the extreme 
of simplicity. The tout ensemble gave the im- 
pression of a certain naive refinement, not un- 
Hke that of the Puritan maiden Priscilla, whose 

picture is so exquisitely drawn for us by Long- 

13 



14 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

fellow. This is how I saw her that day in school, 
standing by my desk as I looked up from my 
book. She said in a half embarrassed way : 
" Something is going to happen to-day." In some 
surprise I asked: "What is going to happen?" 
" Mother is coming to-day," she said. A home- 
sick girl myself, I was immediately sympathetic. 
I arose and put my arm around her in the fashion 
of school-girls, and then we somehow entered into 
an unspoken compact of intimacy, which lasted 
with ever-increasing affection for forty-one years. 

She was a good student. The veteran teacher 
of advanced classes sometimes said to the less 
studious pupils, at the close of recitation: " Young 
ladies, I commend to you the example of Miss 
Webb." 

Several names, more or less prominent, are 
found among her school-mates. I can not forbear 
mentioning one to whom she and all of us re- 
ferred with special pride and affection. Professor 



1 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 15 

Rachel L. Bodle3^ Dean of the Woman's Medical 
College of Philadelphia ; a woman of ripe scholar- 
ship, an honored member of several scientific as- 
sociations of the country, an enthusiastic pro- 
moter of the higher education of women, and a 
devout Christian. She made a deep mark on the 
age in which she lived. She, too, has recently 
passed over to the majorit3% and ere this perhaps 
these two friends may have met in the heavenly 
courts to which they have ascended. 

Miss Webb finished her school course in 1850, 
and soon after became engaged to Rutherford 
Birchard Hayes, a young lawyer whom she had 
known for several years, and who had recently 
established himself in Cincinnati. If I were 
writing a biography instead of a brief sketch, I 
should enlarge upon the fact that she had now 
developed into a beautiful, vivacious girl ; I 
should try to describe to you her life at home 
with her mother and brothers ; I should tell you 



1 6 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

something of the social circle in which she moved, 
of the day of her bridal, the dress she wore, the 
guests w^ho were present, the grave and dignified 
young bridegroom, of their return after their 
wedding journey to their modest housekeeping. 

It is enough to say that as her husband estab- 
lished the reputation of being a man of superior 
ability in his profession, and filled one position 
of trust after another, his wife's character deep- 
ened and broadened with his own. 

The peace of these happy years was broken at 
last by that appalling anachronism of the nine- 
teenth century, our Civil War. Mr. Hayes, and the 
two brothers of Mrs Hayes were among the first 
to join the army ; and she, in common with other 
wives and sisters both North and South, entered 
into the gloom that shadowed every home in our 
country. She was an intense patriot, a heroic 
woman, a fit wife for a hero. I doubt if any one 
ever heard her complain. I doubt if she ever 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 17 

discouraged her husband even by a look. One 
da}' she patiently lay down on her couch of pain, 
and gave the absent father their fourth son, the 
little Joseph. A year and a half later he died in her 
arms while she was with Colonel Hayes at Camp 
White, near Charleston, W. Va. Such were the 
exigencies of war that the babe was sent for burial 
to Cincinnati, unaccompanied by any member of 
his family. I have heard her say that the bitterest 
hour of her life was when she stood within the 
door of the little cottage used for head-quarters, 
and saw the train bear away the lonely little 
boy to his last home in Spring Grove Cemetery. 

Her life in the camps in West Virginia was 
almost as busy as that of her husband. The sol- 
diers early learned that she was ever ready to be 
of use to them. They called the young and 
blooming woman " Our Mother," because of her 
motherly ways, of the delicacies she prepared for 

the sick, of the hymns she sang for them as they 

2 



1 8 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

gathered around her on Sunday evening, of the 
brightness she sought to bring into their anxious 
Hves. It made their love for her amount to ven- 
eration. There must have been some affinity for 
martial life inherited by Mrs. Hayes from her 
warrior ancestors. Martial music was her delight. 
She would kindle into enthusiasm at the sight of 
our flag. She was indeed a patriot ! 

On the occasion of their silver wedding the 
23d Ohio presented her with a silver plate, on 
which were engraved the following lines, written 
by one of the private soldiers : 

" To thee, Our INIother, on thy silver troth. 
We bring this token of our love; thy boys 
Give greeting unto thee, with brimming liearts. 
Take it, for it is made of beaten coin, 
Drawn from the hoarded treasures of thy speech, — 
Kind words and gentle, when a gentle word 
Was worth the surgery of a hundred schools 
To heal sick thought, and make our bruises whole! 
Take it, Our jNIother; 'tis but some small part 
Of thy rare bounty we give back to thee !" 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 19 

Perhaps among the most valued things in her 
possession were two gold badges, one a six- 
pointed star bearing a finely embossed eagle with 
the inscription, " Society of the Army of West 
Virginia, Lucy Webb Hayes, Honorary, 1883;" 
the other a pin bearing her full name, below 
which hangs a pendant inscribed, " Woman's Re- 
lief Corps;" on the reverse, ** Presented by the 
Ohio Woman's Relief Corps to Lucy Webb 
Hayes, in grateful recognition of her distinguished 
services in behalf of the Ohio soldier and his 
children, April 18, 1888." Both of these badges 
were worn on her breast when she was dressed 
for the grave. I have just been reading afresh 
the pathetic story told by herself of the search 
for her husband after he was wounded at the 
battle of South Mountain. It is impossible to 
read it unmoved. Through an omission easily 
explained by the confusion usual after a battle, 
the telegram she received merely stated that 



20 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

Colonel Hayes was wounded, and asked her to 
come at once. Neither the severity of his wound 
nor the place where he was to be found were given 
her. She started, in companj' with her brother- 
in-law, Mr. Piatt, of Columbus, with only this 
vague information. They spent six days on the 
journey, and in their search in the hospitals in 
Baltimore, Washington, and other places, only to 
be met always with the word, "Colonel Hayes's 
name is not to be found in our list of wounded." 
At last, worn out with fatigue and despair, they 
went a second time to the Patent Office, then an 
improvised hospital. As she was descending the 
steps after another fruitless morning's search she 
saw several wounded and battered soldiers with 
the badge of the 23d Ohio on their caps. Almost 
frantic, she called out to them to tell her where 
she might find their colonel. The boys looked 
their astonished dismay. " Why, it is Mrs. 
Hayes," the} said. They gathered around her, 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 21 

gave her the desired information, and tried to 
comfort her with their pit3\ In relating it she 
said, " I remember how it all looked, the time of 
day, the wounded men all around me, my own 
wretchedness ;" and adds, with pathetic signifi- 
cance : "I have never been in the Patent Office 
since." She reached her husband twelve hours 
later in the little village of Middletown, Md. She 
says : " I found him in a small room, in a little brick 
house, doing well, but very anxious about me. 
He greeted me with the sorrowful badinage : 
'And so, dear, you stopped to do Baltimore and 
Washington before coming to me, did you?' " 

In 1866, General Hayes was elected to Con- 
gress, and afterwards was three times called to 
fill the office of Governor of the State of Ohio. 
In 1876 he was chosen for the high office of 
President of the United States. After four years 
of official life at the head of the Nation, he re- 
tired to his home at Fremont, where he and 



22 



MEMORIAL SKETCH, 



Mrs. Hayes spent the succeeding nine years of 
their life. Here the hands, so full of holy en- 
deavors, were destined to be suddenly folded for 
rest. Here the angel of death found her and 
bore her away. 






.¥: 



---^^^^I^^tv- 



,ET us look now a little more closely, to find, 
if we can, what were the characteristics that 
united to make her life so symmetrical and im- 
pressive, and how circumstances had combined to 
prepare her for the high position to which she was 
called. We shall begin with her home, her do- 
mestic life. Every woman should be able to bear 
the closest scrutiny here. It is the key to the situa- 
tion. Any failure at this point will defeat not only 
individual happiness, but must defeat the best that 
there is in the people at large. This you will 
say is self-evident ; nevertheless we wish it might 
sink deep into the heart of every one, especially 
the young. Mrs. Hayes had a practical knowl- 
edge of household duties, and held that such 

knowledge was the accomplishment of the true 

23 



24 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

woman. She believed that the education of books 
is not the only education of life. In the early 
days, when still a young mother, she did much 
of her own sewing. Her garden, her dairy, her 
poultry, the beautiful Alderneys, were all sources 
of pleasure. Her friends often had on their tables 
golden butter made by her own hands. She knew 
well how to instruct her servants in every detail 
of practical housekeeping. In later years, when 
she had become the president of the Woman's 
Home Missionary Society, she was watchful — 
jealous, indeed — that the literary education of 
the young girls in our industrial schools should 
always be subordinate to the intimate practical 
knowledge of household industries. Let us make 
this statement as emphatic as possible. Let it 
reach the ear of every j^oung girl that we are 
trying to influence through our organization, and 
let us hold ourselves to it even more strongly 
than ever, now that her voice is silent. 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 25 

She was a good mother. Her children were 
her comrades. When they were together you felt 
that they were all of an age. She entered into 
their pleasures with an abandon equal to their 
own. Up to manhood there was no fun perfect to 
her boys without their mother. There was no 
delight so great to them as to play off upon her 
some innocent prank or joke. One of the sons 
tells, with great amusement, that when his father 
and mother were at an immense reception in a 
New England town, he stood an hour in line in 
order to shake her hand, and repeat the not un- 
usual greeting that "we old farmers thank you 
for the stand 3^ou have taken on temperance;" 
and she thanked him cordially in return, without 
the slightest idea that she was speaking to her 
own son. Her enjoyment of this little story was 
the best part of it. And yet they never failed in 
genuine reverence for her. Her wish was really 
their law. As might be expected, her sons and 



26 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

daughter were to her an iinallo3^ed joy. I doubt 
if any one of them ever gave her cause for a mo- 
ment's anxiety. We dare not invade the sacred- 
ness of the relation between herself and her hus- 
band, except to say that it was perfect. The re- 
spect which each held for the other, and the per- 
fect accord of their lives, together with the beau- 
tiful relations which the}- both held to their chil- 
dren, made their home an example for every 
other household. It was the best side of their 
lives. No one ever came under their roof without 
going away cheered by the obvious happiness of 
their family relations. 

She came of educated and refined parents, 
who in turn sprang from people of standing and 
worth. Her early j^outh had been spent in the | 
social life of Chillicothe, the first capital of Ohio, 
and one of its most cultured cities. Her literary 
education was much beyond the average. She 
was already somewhat familiar with the social 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 27 

etiquette of Washington from her residence there 
for four years. She had been the wife of the 
Governor of Ohio for three terms. She was in 
the full maturity of middle life, a close ob- 
server, a keen and somewhat incisive judge of 
character and motives. She had beauty, grace, 
and dignity. She had such tact that she was 
sure to be mistress of the situation however diffi- 
cult. But, best of all, she had an exacting con- 
science, quick sympathies, an unselfish nature, 
and that rare common sense which kept her 
steady and unspoiled. With this generous equip- 
ment, she entered the station where the eyes of 
the whole country were focused upon her, with 
some trepidation, but with the courage born of 
self-respect. The verdict of the country is that 
no woman ever filled that position with more dis- 
tinction and grace. None ever gave to the Ex- 
ecutive Mansion a sweeter atmosphere or a more 
elevated moral tone. Judging from the eulogies 



28 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

since pronounced upon her, no one has ever been 
more surely enthroned in the aifections of the 
people. We should like to hide the hour-glass and 
linger a little upon this culminating period of her 
life. Naturally it is to her friends one of absorb- 
ing interest. Indeed, why may we not spend a 
moment in recalling a few of the circumstances 
of the time, and in relating one or two instances 
which will show the tact and grace with which 
she met its demands? I know of nothing that 
will better illustrate her genuineness of character. 
I was present, with a few other friends and rela- 
tives, on the day that General Hayes was inaugu- 
rated President. It was a profoundly impressive 
scene. When seen more than once, it must still 
be a fascinating spectacle. To unaccustomed eyes 
it was even much more than that. 

First was the noble room in which we were 
assembled, worthy in its architectural proportions 
and its dignity of adornments of the scene about 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 29 

to take place. The galleries were full of the Hite 
of the countr}^ The members of the House of 
Representatives, Senators, distinguished ofl&cers 
of the army and navy, the Supreme Court of the 
United States, and the Diplomatic Corps came in, 
announced by the proper officer, one body after 
another, and took their usual seats. The Sen- 
ators and Representatives were in the dress of the 
American citizen, officers of the arni}^ and navy 
in glittering uniform and equipments ; then came 
the black-ro"bed Justices, and the gorgeous array 
of the Diplomatic Corps — many of them rep- 
resenting the nobility of foreign courts. After all 
these distinguished people had been seated, there 
came a moment's pause, a hush over the house, 
a stillness of expectancy. The officer announced 
the President of the United States, and Gen- 
eral Grant and General Hayes, the outgoing and 
incoming Presidents, walked in arm-in-arm, amid 
the silence of the whole body, who at once arose 



30 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

and stood until they were seated. All this 
scene was eloquently suggestive of the glory 
and dignity of the position our friend was about 
to assume. In some trepidation lest she, ^too, 
might be overwhelmed by the same flutterings 
of heart that overcame our courage, we looked 
to the seat below us, where she sat in company 
w4th Mrs. General Grant and her own little 
daughter. She was intensely absorbed, but com- 
posed in manner. As her husband seated himself, 
I fancied that his eye sought hers ; but they 
were both outwardly serene during this cere- 
monial scene, and so remained throughout the 
reading of the inaugural before the great sea of 
upturned faces in the square of the Capitol, the 
taking of the oath of office, and the return to the 
historic mansion which for four years was to be 
their home. At the close of this wonderful day 
we gathered round the dinner-table in the White 
House, where for the first time Mrs. Hayes 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 3^ 

assumed the duties of hostess. Perhaps she was 
a little subdued, but, with that exception, she 
was her usual self, considerate, cheerful, watchful 
of the comfort of every one. But for the stately 
dining-room and the presence of the corps of 
servants, she might have been in her home at 
Fremont, so little did she seem perturbed. After 
dinner she called us all around her, and, in her 
own inimitable manner of half pleasantry, she 
said she was confronted with an embarrassment 
at the very outset of her of&cial life ; that, while 
all the rooms were spacious and elegant, there 
was one that was known as the State bedroom, 
which was, par excellence, the one for distin- 
guished guests, where even Royalty had sometimes 
rested its head. ** Now," she said, " I am too 
wise a woman to make a choice among you who 
may each be supposed to have a right to this dis- 
tinction, and thus make you my enemies. I have 
thought of an expedient; you shall draw cuts." 



3^ MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

We laughingly agreed to abide by this decision. 
One of the gentlemen ran to the steward for the 
broom-straws, and, breaking them into the re- 
quired number of pieces, held them for each one 
to draw. I speak with authority when I tell 
you that the friend who slept in that room was 
much more impressed with the tact of the 
hostess than even with the carved old furniture, 
the satin hangings, exquisite laces, or the historic 
associations of the room, and the greater richness 
of landscape as seen from the windows. It was 
clear that one who could turn a corner in this 
graceful fashion might be safely trusted with even 
greater difficulties of social diplomac}'. 

During one of my visits in the earl 3^ part of the 
administration, I found the house full of the stir 
and excitement of preparation for a great event. 
President and Mrs. Ha3'es were about to give 
their first reception to the Diplomatic Corps. In 
their honor they had invited all the distinguished 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 33 

officials in Washington, and many notable people 
from various parts of the country. Naturally it 
was a busy hour for Mrs. Hayes,— seeing that the 
dressing-rooms were in perfect order; consulting 
with officials about flags, flowers, and other 
adornments for the house ; saying some last words 
about the dress she was to wear ; giving orders 
to the steward about the banquet, etc., etc. ; for, 
while each of these duties belonged to its ap- 
pointed officer, Mrs. Hayes kept the guidance of 
the work in her own hands. At the busiest mo- 
ment one of the sons came to his mother with a 
look of annoyed anxiety, and told her that a man 
and two women, Quakers, insisted on seeing her 
and his father. They said they were charged 
with a religious message, and would -tarry until 
they could be received. He added: "There are 
at least fifty people waiting to see father, some of 
them on important business by appointment. Of 
course he can not see them, and of course ^•ou 



34 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

can not stop to see any one. I '11 just tell them 
we have had praj^ers, that we are all right, and 
send them away." His mother stopped his volu- 
bility with a look, and, turning to me, said : 
"What shall I do ? How can I stop just now?" 
But in a moment added, " They may have come 
a long way; we must see them;" and quietly 
walked into the library, preceded by the President, 
where sat the grave Friend, with his hat planted 
firmly on his head, and beside him two placid, 
sweet-faced companions. After greeting them, 
we all sat down together in perfect stillness for 
what seemed a long time, waiting till the Friend 
should be ready to deliver his message. At last 
he said he had been sent by the Yearly Meeting 
of their body to bring a message to them, and 
calling them each by name, Rutherford and Lucy, 
he opened the Scriptures and read various pas- 
sages in which denunciation and promises fol- 
lowed one another somewhat evenly balanced, 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 35 

charged Rutherford that if he failed in obedience 
to the great and infinite Ruler of the universe, all 
these woes of the Book would come not onl}' 
upon him, but upon all the people, and en- 
larged at great length upon the blessedness of 
that people whose God is the Lord ; and then, 
after another long and impressive silence, we all 
bowed our heads, and he uttered a solemn prayer. 
At its close the President shook hands, and 
thanked him, and excused himself. Mrs. Hayes 
took them leisurely through the private rooms of 
the house, showed them its beautiful appoint- 
ments, pointed out the lovely views from its 
windows, and then bade them a kind good-b}^ at 
her door. They never knew that they had nearl)^ 
consumed one of the busiest mornings of her life. 
As she turned to her interrupted work she simply 
said : "It would never have done not to see 
them." I saw she was quieted and rested, and 
I repeated to myself the quaint Saxon proverb : 



36 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

" Prayer and provender hinder no man." Per- 
haps this is not the time and place to say how 
our beloved friend acquitted herself during her 
first diplomatic reception as the Queen of the Re- 
public, but I can not forbear giving my own as- 
sent to the universal verdict of the time that she 
was the most regal-looking woman of that dis- 
tinguished company. Her frank, genial welcome 
as hostess communicated to the magnificent com- 
pany an atmosphere of ease and sociability es- 
pecially appropriate to a republican gathering, 
where all are equals, and unfamiliar to the offi- 
cial gatherings of royal courts. 



V v^\#.5i 



■^^^^^ 



5^ 7\ IV ^^N 



Zbc (Sluestton of Wiinc. 

She had come to a conclusion upon this mat- 
ter before going to Washington, she and General 
Hayes together ; for, as she repeatedly said, she 
could have done nothing without his support. 
She reasoned after this fashion : "I trust I am 
not a fanatic, but I do want my influence to be 
always in favor of temperance. Now, I have 
never hitherto offered wine to my family or my 
guests. I am not willing to begin to do so now. 
I am still to be mistress and hostess, even though 
I may be the wife of the President of the United 
States, and my table be laid in Washington instead 
of Cincinnati, Columbus, or Fremont. It is true 
I shall violate a precedent ; but I shall not violate 
the Constitution, which is all that, through my 

husband, I have taken the oath to obey. If I 

37 



38 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

were to be a guest in foreign courts I should ex- 
pect my entertainers to dictate the table courses 
according to their individual customs ; I certainly 
should not expect them to 3neld a conviction in 
my behalf. I believe these gentlemen and ladies 
of the Diplomatic Corps and other foreigners will 
concede as much to me. I am willing to trust 
them. As for my own countrymen, they are ac- 
customed to independent action. I shall trust 
them, too." And so, without reflection upon her 
predecessors, she quietly acted according to her best 
judgment, and dispensed her hospitality without 
stimulants. That so simple a matter as deciding 
upon the me^iu for her own table should have oc- 
casioned so much comment, caused her some sur- 
prise. It was easier for her to bear unkind crit- 
icism than the expostulation of friends who feared 
it would be considered an unwelcome innovation, 
and cause embarrassment in the festivities in- 
cident to their official position. But she held her 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 39 

ground. She said she hoped to provide so gener- 
ously in other respects that there would be no 
reasonable occasion for complaint, and begged 
that the members of the Cabinet would join her 
in showing that wit, anecdote, repartee, and brill- 
iancy of conversation were possible at a banquet 
without the accessories of stimulants; and so it 
proved. That she had not measured the wide 
and far-reaching influence of her decision, does 
not lessen its value. Like most exalted souls, 
she was humble, and builded better than she knew. 
But is it not true, after all, that the real value of 
the action lay in the fact that she was brave and 
unmoved in supporting that which she believed to 
be right ? Good, strong convictions — convictions 
that are aggressive, and may even become ex- 
asperating — are rare. Perhaps it is due to in- 
creased intelligence and large thinking; but a 
great many people are so ** judicial," I believe 
they call it — that is, they want to be so fair to all 



40 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

sides — that they are not ready when a direct, tell- 
ing blow must be struck for the right. Mrs. Haj^es 
was not one of these. Her dut}^ was sharply de- 
fined, clear cut, and she had the courage of her 
convictions. That is one reason why to-day she 
is one of the prominent characters of the century. 



^\\t ttti nof iBf ":3 bare ncf inatf upon H raoulb." 



^^M^W:^^ 



TLcBtimonialB. 

Out of the great amount of material which I 
have at command, I select a ver}^ few tributes 
paid her for her course on this subject. They 
give additional proof that we are dealing with the 
character of a great woman — one who belongs to 
the world, and not to a locality. I find most 
of them in the volumes presented by the ladies 
of Illinois to Mrs. Hayes at the close of her 
husband's Administration. They consist of sen- 
timents by people distinguished in literature, art, 
politics, philanthropy, journalism, and religion. 
Some of them may have been in print before; 
but if so, they were sent by their authors, who 
themselves applied them to Mrs. Haj-es : 

Lucy Webb Hayes is, humanly speaking, the world's 
greatest loss in 1889. How few indeed had it to lose 

4 41 



42 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

like her, ideal woman, that she was, of Home and 
Church and State ! Total abstinence has never had such 
a standard-bearer as this noble woman, and centuries 
from now, when other incidents in our National life at 
this period shall be recalled but dimly, her -steadfast 
adherence to the truest Christian hospitality will be told 
as a memorial of her. Frances E. wili^ard. 

The woman who, standing in the chief home, stood 
bravely for the sake of every home in the land. 

ADEIylNE D. T. WHITNEY. 

"Highest, who stoops to lift the low." The fragrance 
of her goodness wili linger forever about the Executive 
Mansion. fred dougi^ass. 

To perform one's functions with fidelity and sim- 
plicity is to be both hero and saint. 

EDWARD EGGI.ESTON. 

Her country also, and it praiseth her. 

LOUISE CHANDI^ER MOUI.TON. 

When high moral worth and courage combine with 
gentleness, matronl}^ dignity, graciousness, and sweetest 
charity, the charm is complete. d. huntixgton, 

President National Academy of Design, New York. 

God bless the woman who fearlessly antagonizes 
the greatest enemy of mankind! JUSTICE BARNEs, 

Of the Superior Court of Dakota Territory. 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 43 

Look in our eyes : your welcome waits you there, 
North, South, East, West, from all and everywhere. 
OLIVER WENDEI.1. HOivMES, 
In welcoming- Mrs. Hayes to Boston. 

Her presence lends its warmth and health to all 

who come before it ; 

If woman lost us Eden, then such as she alone 

restore it. WHiTTiER. 

Whene'er a noble deed is wrought. 
Whene'er is spoke a noble thought. 

Our hearts in glad surprise, 

To higher levels rise. i,ongfel,l,ow. 



Pr< 



a) 'TO 



-^'^^i^)^i:^fi^f^^^ 



1ber presl^encp ot tbe Moman's 1bome 
/IDtssionar^ Society, 

I HAVE had a purpose in recalling and hastily 
touching upon some of the more prominent events 
of her life. I wonder if it will seem too much to 
sa}' that its opportunities and distinctions had an 
even wider significance than had thus far ap- 
peared ; that they were to be a contribution to a 
greater work than any she had thus far done. I 
submit the question whether there is anj^ greater 
work in this world after one's duty to home and 
famil}', than the helping to uplift a race? 

It was urged upon Mrs. Haj-es that she had 

this rare opportunity- ; that the Woman's Home 

Missionary Societ}^ was formed for this especial 

purpose ; that she could do a work for it as 'its 

president in calling attention to it, and com- 
44 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 45 

manding confidence in it, that at this stage of 
its existence perhaps no one else could do, not 
only because of her prominence, but because she 
was known to be a woman of rare judgment and 
a loyal Methodist. (It was Dr. Rust who first 
suggested Mrs. Hayes for this position.) She 
hesitated ; she coveted the ease and retirement of 
her home in Fremont after her many years of 
public life ; besides, in her modesty, she doubted 
her essential fitness for the ofiice. Her objections 
were overruled, and she became our President. 
Her interest in the society grew from year to year. 
She presided at each of our annual sessions, and 
was also present at very many of the meetings of 
the General Executive Board, coming from Fre- 
mont to Cincinnati for that purpose. I dare not 
trust myself to speak of what she was to us at 
these meetings. It is enough to say that we es- 
teemed her invaluable. As one said, she was the 
most modest and the wisest of us all. Her love 



46 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

of countr}^ approached a passion ; and, while a 
generous giver to foreign missions, she kept the 
first place in her heart for the work at home. 

She was familiar with the needs of the black 
race. Her husband had helped, with his sword, 
to break their chains. She well knew that the 
Christian philanthropy of the next half century 
at least should devote itself to repairing, as far 
as possible, the wrong that had been done to them 
in slavery. She gave her best thought, in com- 
mon with others, to methods b}^ which this might 
be done. The Freedmen's Aid and other societies 
were chiefly engaged in their literary education. 
The Woman's Home Missionary Society decided 
that its work should be largely industrial ; that 
is, it should undertake the domestic or family 
training of Negro girls and women, and seek 
to make them good housewomen, good wives, 
mothers, and daughters And so it comes about 
that, while we sit together this evening in this 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 47 

house of worship, there are many places through- 
out the South where we have comfortable, commo- 
dious buildings, called industrial or model homes, 
where are gathered numbers of j^oung women, 
many of whom have hitherto known no home 
but the plantation cabin, who, under the charge 
of Christian matrons or superintendents, are being 
taught habits of order, neatness — all indeed of the 
home industries — and the higher duties of chastity, 
purity of thought, and the transforming prin- 
ciples of Christianity. Recently we have pro- 
jected two such model homes for the illiterate 
white girls of the South, which will doubtless soon 
be built. 

In other portions of our country, known as 
missionary territory, we pursue something of 
the same methods, modified to suit the need of 
different localities. In Utah we have dotted the 
territory here and there with school-houses, where, 
under the charge of missionaries, we are teaching 



48 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

the industries of life and the pure gospel of 
home. 

The same general plan has been adapted to 
work among the Indians and New Mexicans, and 
recently in Washington Territory and Alaska, 
while a great deal of what we call local work is 
being done in some of our cities. This includes 
the support of missionaries among the newly ar- 
rived immigrants in New York and Boston. Mrs. 
Hayes's whole heart was in the work. She was 
specially interested in the department of supplies. 
Nothing touched her warm heart as did the needs 
of the poorly-paid ministers and their families on 
the frontiers. 

The barrels and boxes sent from Fremont she 
helped to pack with her own hands, and j^ou 
may be sure that no worn-out or unfit clothing 
found its way into the Fremont box. 

You will find in the later pages of this mono- 
graph the " last words" of our beloved President, 



i 



LUCY WEBB H4YES. 49 

her address given to us at Boston, as well as 
other of her addresses. You will there see not 
only the great work of the society she did so 
much to found, but as you read you will, I think, 
feel the beat of her heart, the spirit she brought 
into the work, and get some idea of our irrep- 
arable loss. 



*^^^tV 



.^^. 



---^^^ll^tvi— 



1ber Cbristtan CF^aracter* 

Her creed was short, but it contained all the 
law and the prophets. At our annual meeting 
last 3^ear, as we stood together one morning be- 
fore starting for the church, gravely talking of 
the important work w^e had before us, of the need 
we felt of great faith, of consecration, and divine 
wisdom, she turned her sweet eyes full of tears 
upon me and said: " O, I am not good, but I do 
try to keep the Golden Rule. I do try to do to 
others as I would they should do to me." 

Those who knew her best sa}^ that this was 
her working principle, the law of her life. She 
had so assimilated it into her character that she 
was under its constant control. This is much to 
say of any one. It is the highest Christian at- 
tainment. If true of her, it explains why she had 

50 



LUCY WEBB HA YES. 5 1 

SO strong a hold on the hearts of the people, 
and it lifts this eulogy of her life, if you so call 
it, into a safe place — into a eulogy of the law 
itself. If there be a principle which, when ap- 
plied, can transform imperfect human nature, 
revolutionize it, make it all sweet, unselfish and 
like the angels, why not exalt the principle? 

Obedience to this law made her just, gener- 
ous, unselfish, warm and ready in sympathy. It 
made her so human, shall we call it? A friend, 
on the day of her funeral, in answer to the 
question why there had assembled this great mul- 
titude of respectful, sorrowing people, replied : 
"It is a tribute of the people to a woman 
of the people. Lucy Hayes was at one with 
humanity." 

It was the influence of this law upon her life 
that made her as genuinely interested in the plain 
people who entertained her with their homely 
affairs as she was in the refined and educated. 



52 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

There was not the least trace of affectation, 
of condescension or patronage in her bearing to- 
ward them, because she felt none. She would be 
one helpfully to prepare for and welcome the 
kindly village people to a church festival with 
sincere cordiality. They believed she was their 
friend, because in her heart she was their friend. 
She judged people by character, not by social 
position. One whose estimates are taken from 
so high an altitude is not liable to be disturbed 
lest his own dignity be jostled or upset. He 
does not even think of his dignity. 

A friend told me that once when she was in 
church with Mrs. Hayes, soon after they went to 
Washington, she suggested to her that there 
ought to be an unwritten law, a kind of com- 
mon consent rule, that would keep the audience 
in place until the Presidential party retired, to 
save the crowding and crushing by the curious, 
which rendered egress almost impossible. She 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 53 

looked a mild rebuke, as she said: "No, dear; 
here we are all on one level." 

I have heard one of her neighbors tell that 
when the Annual Conference of the Church was 
about to meet in Fremont, her pastor went to 
her to know how many ministers she could en- 
tertain. She replied she would take ten or fifteen, 
but she said : " Brother, I want you to pick out 
for me some of the hard-worked ministers and their 
wives who have had rather a poor time on their cir- 
cuits. Send them to us and we will try to give them 
a pleasant week." It was this " put yourself in his 
place " principle which made her stop her carriage 
(you ' ve all heard of it) , and pick up a poor, drunken 
woman from the street, and take her to her home. 

One night, at Fremont, Mrs. Hayes had re- 
tired to her room, after doing duty to a houseful 
of guests, to be awakened at midnight by the 
heavily falling rain. Suddenly fears for the safety 
of a humble old neighbor, who lived down by 



54 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

the river, began to disturb her. She could not 
rest. She got up, called the coachman, and sent 
him through the darkness to the little cottage, to 
find the rapidly rising waters already in the room 
of the lonely woman. She was put in the car- 
riage, and driven to Spiegel Grove, where Mrs. 
Hayes had prepared her a room and dry clothing, 
and stood ready to welcome her. In the morn- 
ing she was introduced to the guests at the 
breakfast-table as the friend that had rained down 
upon them in the night, and, seated by her 
hostess, she was made to feel welcome and un- 
embarrassed amid the elegant company. 

But w^e might multiply examples indefinitely. 
Her neighbors, friends, and acquaintances could 
supply many more quite as impressive as those 
I have given. They throw strong side-lights on 
her character. 

Shakespeare makes Shy lock say : "I will buj^ 
with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 55 

you, and so following; but I will not eat with 
you, drink with you, nor pray with you." This 
spirit of caste thus strongly paragraphed found 
its rebuke in the daily life of Mrs. Hayes. 

The press of the time made frequent refer- 
ence to the "Sunday evenings" at the White 
House. I recall one of these evenings with 
especial pleasure, as I think it was not often that 
so many people whose names are the property 
of the Nation happened together informally at 
the same time. Perhaps the reason is found in 
the fact that though the ceremonious reception 
in honor of the silver wedding of President and 
Mrs. Hayes occurred the next (Monday) evening, 
yet this was the real anniversary of that event. 
There were perhaps thirty or forty people gath- 
ered around the piano. Vice-President Wheeler 
selected the hymns and directed the singing. He 
would have reminded you of the teacher of a 
village singing-school, in his earnest and hearty 



56 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

interest in leading his choir, as he called it. There 
were Chief-Justice and Mrs. Waite, Justice and 
Mrs. Harlan and their daughter, Secretaries Evarts, 
Sherman, and Devins, Mr. Bancroft the histo- 
rian, Generals Sherman and McCook, Senator 
Dawes and daughter, and many others, whose 
names I do not now recall. Most of them joined 
heartily in singing the hymns of Watts, Toplady, 
Montgomery, Cowper, and Charles Wesley. Mr. 
Wheeler had little patience with the ephemeral 
compositions found in the revival hymnals; but 
once in a while, as on this evening, his Presby- 
terian proprieties were overruled by the more 
florid and enthusiastic members of the company, 
and all would burst, as with one consent, into 
the chorus of "The Sweet By and By," " I Need 
Thee Every Hour," and " Hold the Fort." This 
last seemed an especial favorite. I hushed my 
own voice, and looked around on the assembled 
company, as they made the beautiful room ring 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 57 

with the inspiring melody; each one seemed in- 
tent on singing the chorus with his own special 
emphasis. The enthusiasm was too much for Mr. 
Wheeler; he deserted his principles, and, beating 
time with his hand, he sang with all the power 
of his splendid lungs. General Sherman, though 
not singing, was captured by the martial chorus, 
and seemed to enforce its command with every 
muscle of his mercurial body. The only ap- 
parently unstirred one of the company was the 
President himself, who sat, with his arm around 
his little girl, looking grave and preoccupied. 
Immediatel)^ above him hung Stewart's full- 
length portrait of Washington. It did not need 
a great stretch of fancy to inform his splendid 
figure with life and with interest in the scene 
below, or to suppose that he also might be 
chanting the chorus for the encouragement of 
the thoughtful man whose shoulders were now 
pressed with the cares akin to those he once 



58 MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

bore. We all know the tendency there is to relax 
into secular habits of thought and conversation 
of a Sunday evening. I have recalled this inci- 
dent to show you how the wise tact so character- 
istic of Mrs. Hayes was used, not only to provide 
for her family and the friends who were in the 
habit of dropping in a pleasant way of spending 
the time, but that in this way the atmosphere of 
the day " set apart " might be unobtrusively rec- 
ognized and preserved, while at the same time 
she was the farthest possible from being an 
ascetic or from having an}^ officious sanctimony. 




--^^'^^^^^^tv- 



ConclixQion. 

The literature of eulogy, found in editorial and 
other notices of her death, makes interesting read- 
ing. It is a hopeful sign when genuine qualities 
call forth such emphatic language from the best 
journalists of the day. It means that unaflfected 
goodness is at a premium. 

The lofty position she held, doubtless fixed 
attention upon these qualities. It did not create 
them. As one writer says : " She made a name 
for herself; without controversy she represents 
the highest type of American womanhood." We 
hope there will be a biography written of her that 
will include the noble words said of her by the 
press, as well as some of the touching personal 
letters written by the great and good of our 
country. 

59 



6o MEMORIAL SKETCH. 

I can imagine the amazed incredulity with 
which she would run her own eye over these 
words. In her modesty she would utterly dis- 
claim them as applying to her. Nevertheless we 
who reach out our hands in vain for the warm 
clasp that never failed us before — we who knew 
her best — rejoice that the sentiment of the country 
is so nearly true. 

We must now close this sketch, written in sad- 
ness. While wTiting it, I wished a wish for my- 
self and for you all — I covet for us the " best 
gifts" — that is, that we may take from the study 
of this character its most beautiful lesson, that 
the glorious adornment of the heart is the 
Golden Rule graven b}' the pen of our Lord ; 
that rule which is the epitome of the gos- 
pel, which if lived literally would transform 
us all — 3^es, and the world, too — into angels. It 
is the best missionary rule in the whole Bible. 
Shall it be that we shall no longer let it float in a 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 6l 

chaotic way around us, touching us most nearly 
and sweetly at times ; then, alas ! evading us, and 
leaving us often to grope amidst the mists of self- 
will; but that from henceforth we shall capture 
and imprison it in our deepest consciousness — 
let it dominate every thought, every word, every 
action ? 

The question she asked us last j^ear is infi- 
nitely touching to us now : " Watchman, what of 
the night?" How soon, if this rule were the 
molding principle of this world, might we "wave 
the answer back to heaven," beloved friend, " Lo ! 
the Prince of Peace ; lo ! the Son of God has 
come !" If she could speak to us from where she 
dwells in ineffable glory, with " sorrow van- 
quished, labor ended, Jordan past," we might hear 
her solemnly say to us at this hour: "All things 
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, 
do ye even so to them." 



J 



Jn M^moxxam : M J^OBtn. 



BY 



MARY A. LATHBURY. 



"•^^^^ 



OF 

LUCY WEBB HAYES. 



BY MARY A. LATHBURY. 




I FRIENDS, who sit ill silent grief 

, ,3 Before her vacant place, 
And seek, through blinding mists of tears, 

The loved and vanished face! 
Lift up your eyes; though mists lie low 

Upon the path she trod. 
She walks transfigured in the light 

That crowns the hills of God. 

We know the sweet and sacred spring 

Of love — beyond all art — 

That gave her smile the potent charm 

That won the Nation's heart. 
65 6 



f 



66 ]N MEMORIAM. 

We saw the halo and the crown, 

By other eyes unseen, 
That placed upon her rightful throne 

The woman and the queen. 

We saw — yet diml}^ did we see — 

That where our leader stood 
The heavens w^ere bending down to meet 

Her growing angelhood. 
Then from the heights there fell a voice 

Upon her inner ear, 
So heart-alluring, low, and sweet, 

That now — she is not here! 

*' He giveth his beloved sleep." 

He also sends the morn. 
Into that rare and radiant day 

A child of earth is born. 
The Lord be with us till we sleep. 

And then — all labor done — 
Into the light of that long day 

Receive us, every one ! 



MBmortal J^apsr 



BY 



MRS. R. S. RUST. 



i 



^jTtHIS paper was prepared and read as introductory to 
^-^ a special service, held November i, 1889, in pursu- 
ance of the following resolution, which had been sent out 
by the General Executive Board of the "Woman's Home 
Missionary Society, earlier in the summer: 

''^ Resolved, That we invite the Auxiliaries, Circles, 
Bands, and Friends of the Society to contribute offerings, 
precious memorials, and forward them to the General 
Board of Managers, to meet in Indianapolis the last of 
October. 

"These offerings will be presented, through the Con- 
ference Secretaries, at an hour designated during the 
Convention, and will be consecrated to the establishment 
of a Deaconess Home and Training-school for mission- 
aries. The institution will bear the honored name of 
Ivucy Webb Hayes, and prove, we trust, an unfailing 
inspiration to secure those elements of character which 
rendered her life so useful and beautiful. It will com- 
memorate her deep interest in behalf of home missions, 
and serve as a humble memorial of the love cherished 
for her by the good people of this Nation." 

68 




^^^^^^<-^ 



]V[E]V[Ot{IAL PflPBH. 

^S^ DISTINCTIVE feature of the latter half 
i^^^J^A of the nineteenth century is the develop- 
ment of so many good and true women. We 
esteem it a special evidence of divine favor that 
one of the most illustrious women of modern 
times — one whom the Church and the Nation 
delighted to honor — has been the first and only 
president of the Woman's Home Missionary So- 
ciety. Nearly nine years she rendered most val- 
uable service, presiding at our annual sessions, 
meeting with the Executive Board, and in times 
of darkness and despondency counseling, encour- 
aging, and inspiring us with faith and hope. 

We meet in sorrow to-day. For the first time 

in our history our beloved president is not with 

69 



70 MEMORIAL PAPER. 

US. We are bereft. The sense of sadness is op- 
pressive. " She walked with God, and is not; for 
God took her." 

When it seemed as though home and friends 
and Church and countrj^ needed her the most, she 
was suddenly taken from our midst — from the 
sphere of love and service, and translated to the 
realm of a blessed immortality. The sad intelli- 
gence of her death sent sorrow all over our land, 
and the occupants of palace and cabin partici- 
pated in the general lamentation. 

The society was called into existence, by the 
providence of God, to meet a great want in our 
land. It was organized in 1880, and on the 8th 
of June the first meeting in its behalf was held 
at Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. 

In arranging for the work, and in the selec- 
tion of our president, we were led in a wa}^ we 
knew not. In devising means for developing and 



I 



I 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 71 

organizing the latent forces of the Church among 
its women, we felt that God was with us, point- 
ing out duty and guiding in its performance. 
After our plans were made, with our inexperi- 
ence and timidity, we shrank from assuming offi- 
cial responsibility. The final meeting for the 
selection of officers had been called for the fol- 
lowing day, and, at the last moment, no one had 
been found available for the responsible office of 
president. We had counseled with one another; 
we had sought divine aid; but, as yet, no one 
answering our need had been found. In our 
home, at a late hour, we counseled together 
around the family altar, and submitted the diffi- 
cult problem to our Heavenly Father for solution, 
and still again, on bended knee at our bedside, 
we cried for light and help. 

After midnight, I was aroused by my hus- 
band, who said, " Elizabeth, I have found a presi- 
dent for you," and then suggested Mrs. Ruther- 



72 MEMORIAL PAPER. 

ford B. Ha5^es for president of the Woman's 
Home Missionary Society. 

She was then at Washington, preoccupied by 
her duties as the wife of the President of the 
United States. At first I urged objections. Mrs. 
Hayes will not be able to give much attention to 
the management of a new missionary enterprise. 
It might subject her to criticism for engaging in 
denominational work. It might be deemed too 
insignificant an office to receive indorsement from 
so high a source. Our motive in approaching one 
occupying so exalted and conspicuous a position 
might be misjudged, and we seem presumptive 
and intrusive. 

To every objection Mr. Rust answered that 
he felt she was the providential woman for the 
office of president of our society, and that she 
would not hesitate to give her influence to a 
cause so full of promise to our country. 

The next day the ladies met at the church, 



I 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 73 

as appointed, and the minutes of the meeting 
furnish the following report : 

''July loth. — At an adjourned meeting, Mrs. 
Bishop Wiley in the chair. Mrs. Rust presented 
the report of the Committee on Nomination, as 
follows : President, Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes ; 
Vice-Presidents, Mrs. Bishop I. W. Wiley, Mrs. F. 
S. Hoyt, Mrs. Bishop Clark, Mrs. A. Shinkle, 
and Mrs. J. M. Walden ; Corresponding Secre- 
tary, Mrs. R. S. Rust ; Recording Secretary, Mrs. 
James Dale; Treasurer, Mrs. A. R. Clark." 

The report of the committee was adopted, 
and the corresponding secretary communicated 
to Mrs. Hayes, through her pastor. Rev. Dr. 
Lanahan, the information of her election. At 
first she hesitated to accept the office, lest her 
duties at Washington might prevent active co- 
operation with the society. After the most ear- 
nest solicitation from her numerous friends — 

among whom was her life-long and esteemed 

7 



74 MEMORIAL PAPER. 

associate, Mrs. John Davis— she accepted the po- 
sition, and in her letter of acceptance said: "If 
the ladies of the Woman's Home Missionary So- 
ciety believe that my name, and such service as 
I ma}^ be able to render, will aid so good a cause, 
I can not decline." The event has proved the 
wisdom of the action. 

Her influence as president has been of inesti- 
mable value to the society. The honor and es- 
teem with which vShe w^as regarded by the good 
people of this Nation led to a favorable consid- 
eration of the cause vShe had espoused ; while her 
quick grasp of the principles involved, her clear 
understanding of the details of the work, and her 
wise judgment as to the policy and methods of 
reformatory work, have been of great value in 
the administration of its affairs. 

Mrs. Hayes was beautiful in person and char- 
acter. She impressed all who came under her 
influence with the genuineness of her womanly 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 75 

qualities. She was at heart good and sympa- 
thetic, and took a deep interest in every phase 
of human suffering. She was never happier than 
when visiting and reheving the needs of the poor, 
blending the consolations of religion with the 
comforts of life ; never happier than when in the 
hospital and on the battle-field, aiding the sick 
and wounded, and cheering the dying with the 
blessed truths of eternal life. Even in the White 
House, the recipient of its honors, she experi- 
enced less real enjoyment than when actively 
engaged in Christ's service in humble cottage or 
cabin, in hospital or on battle-field. In the rich 
cluster of graces that adorned her character, her 
love for suffering humanity and her interest in 
the welfare of our own land shone the brightest. 
As she studied the destitute portions of our 
country, and became more fully acquainted with 
the needs of the people, she appreciated more 
highly the mission of this society, and gave most 



76 MEMORIAL PAPER. 

cheerfully her best efforts to its advancement. 
In a letter received by the writer a few days be- 
fore her death, she said : "I realize more than 
ever the significance of this Home Mission work, 
and my love and interest in it grow stronger 
every da3^" 

It is fitting that those associated with her in 
this work of love should bring precious offerings 
to commemorate her beautiful character and Ufe. 
Nothing could more appropriately express her 
wish, represent the purpose of her Hfe, hold her in 
grateful memory, and perpetuate the influence of 
her character, than the erection of a memorial 
building, consecrated to the improvement of so- 
ciety and the elevation of woman. 



*1 




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Jlnnual Mttlmc^^ of i^2 Woman's !|omc 
MJtsstonary Sotiti}}, 

[he seven Annual Reports issued during the 
^^ presidency of Mrs. Hayes contain either ex- 
tracts from her addresses, or concise abstracts 
of them. What relates to her words has there- 
fore been obtained from the reports, and will fol- 
low in chronological order, closing with the last 
delivered in Boston, which is given in full. 

tlbc JFtrst Bnmial /iReetina 

Was held in St. Paul Methodist Episcopal 
Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 30, 1882. 

After a service of prayer for half an hour, con- 
ducted by Mrs. Prof. Wm. G.Williams, of Delaware, 

79 



8o ADDRESSES. 

Ohio, in which Mrs. Dr. Leavitt, of the First Baptist 
Church, and other ladies participated, at 10.30 A. M. 
the president, Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, opened 
the first annual meeting of the Board of Man- 
agers of the Woman's Home Missionary Society. 
In kind and cheering words she expressed 
deep interest in the work of the society, and cor- 
dial sympathy with its purposes and plans. It 
gave her especial pleasure to meet with the ladies 
in this their first annual gathering. As her dis- 
tance from the General Executive Board had com- 
pelled her to be absent from most of their meet- 
ings, and hence had kept her from an intimate 
acquaintance with the workings of the Board, she 
felt unable to assume the responsibility of con- 
ducting the business sessions of the convention. 
Assuring the friends that her heart was with them 
in all the plans for advancing the interests of the 
society, she transferred the work of direction to 
Mrs. John Davis, the first vice-president. 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 8i 

At the second annual meeting, held at St. 
Paul Methodist Episcopal Church in November, 
1883, Mrs. Hayes was not present. 

tlbe ^blrD Bnnual /iReettng 

Was held at Cleveland, Ohio, October, 1884. 
Mrs. Haj^es delivered the opening address in a 
distinct and impressive manner, her rich voice 
filling the large audience-room. She spoke as 
follows : 

" The women of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church at Cincinnati, in 1880, formed a National 
Missionary Society, whose work is to be done 
among the needy populations of our own country. 

" The last General Conference of our Church, 
after ample consideration, gave it official recogni- 
tion, and adopted it as one of the trusted instru- 
mentalities of the Church, under the name of the 
Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. 



I 



82 ADDRESSES. 

"At this, the first meeting of the society since 
this ver}' important and conclusive action, we 
maj^ well pause to express our gratitude to God 
that the good and wise men who legislate for the 
Methodist Episcopal Church have, with entire 
unanimity and w4th the greatest zeal, thus recog- 
nized and adopted our society. 

" We may now, having the solemn and re- 
sponsible sanction of our Church, devote ourselves 
with the utmost confidence to the interesting 
special work devolved upon us. 

" Our field of usefulness is of great extent. 
Our home population embraces elements more or 
less extensive of ever}- important race, nation- 
ality, and language. They are of all conditions, 
material, intellectual, and moral. 

"Coming originally from every part of the 
world, the}' are here seated in the midst of this 
central continent, which looks out from widely ex- 
tended coasts and almost countless harbors upon 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 83 

the two oceans on which is carried the larger part 
of commerce of the globe. By the agencies of our 
advancing civilization, in the near future this peo- 
ple will surely wield a commanding influence in 
the affairs, in the education, and in the religion 
of all mankind. 

"The inspiring and attractive field which in- 
vites our efforts is the home. First in impor- 
tance and first in number are the homes of the 
uninformed, destitute, and unfortunate of our 
own race — those of our own kith and kin. To 
these we must add the just claims of the 
lately emancipated people and their posterity, 
of the Indians, of the Mormons, of the Spanish 
Americans, and of the Chinese now within our 
borders — all of whom, it has been well said, have 
claims upon us for Christian civilization not to 
be surpassed by those of the heathen of foreign 
lands. 

"We believe that the character of a people 



84 ADDRESSES. 

depends mainly on its homes. Our special aim 
therefore is to improve home environments, 
home education, home industries, and home in- 
fluences. 

"We wish to strive for the attainment of these 
worthy ends by means upon which we can, with 
an assured hope, conscientiously invoke the 
Divine blessing." 

Zbc 3fourtb Bnnual Meeting 

Was held at Philadelphia in October, 1885. What 
Mrs. Hayes said is summed up as follows : 

"The Fourth Annual Meeting of the Woman's 
Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church finds our society in a condition of 
prosperity so marked and so encouraging that our 
first duty is with grateful hearts to return thanks 
for the signal blessings which by the Divine favor 
have bL'cii showered upon us. The past year has 
been emphatically a year of growth. The official 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 85 

reports which will be made to this meeting will, 
it is believed, show a large and most gratify- 
ing increase of Conference organizations, of aux- 
iliary societies, of juvenile societies, and of mem- 
bership. A corresponding gain will appear in 
the funds and other means of usefulness in 
the benevolent work which we have undertaken 
to do. 

"At our annual meeting held in Cleveland it 
was our sad dut}^ to record the death of Bishop 
Simpson, whose name in connection with our 
w^ork gave to it strength and dignity, and whose 
tender S3^mpathy and wise counsel will be re- 
membered by us all. So, to-day, our mutual con- 
gratulations on the advance of the cause in which 
we are engaged, are mingled with feelings of 
deepest sadness as we recall the death of Bishop 
Wiley. He died, soon after our last meeting, at his 
post of duty in Foochow, China. To us his death 
is an especial affliction and an irreparable loss. 



86 ADDRESSES. 

From the earliest beginnings of our enterprise he 
was our trusted and earnest adviser and helper. 
Thoroughly acquainted with the foreign field of 
missionary labor, and personally engaged in it 
during many of the most active years of his life, 
he was so well persuaded that missionary work 
at home furnished the only sure foundation for 
success and progress abroad, that he gave his 
whole influence and power to the organization of 
the Woman's Home Missionary Society, and to 
its recognition and adoption by the Church. We 
shall always remember him as the accomplished 
scholar, the eloquent and devoted preacher, and 
as our wise, generous, and loving friend in the 
days of our weakness and greatest need. It is for 
us to bear in mind, while we cherish his memory, 
that the most honorable memorial we can erect to 
him will be to carry forward to triumphant suc- 
cess our benevolent work, which he did so much 
to inaugurate and establish." 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 87 

ZTbe jplttb Bnnual /Iftectlng 

Was held at Detroit, October 28 to November 2, 
1886. Mrs. Hayes vSpoke with a clear voice and 
distinct utterance that insured careful attention : 

" The Fifth Annual Meeting of our society is 
held under circumstances which may well fill our 
hearts with gratitude and with hope. The welcome 
extended us bj- our associates and friends of Detroit 
assures us that the days we shall spend in this 
beautiful and hospitable city will be days full of 
satisfaction and joy. Our prayers are that they 
may also be days wisely devoted to the best in- 
terests of the humble, the neglected, and the 
needy. This is, indeed, the work of the Divine 
Master, whose example and teachings all wish to 
imitate and heed who hope in their own lives to 
realize the blessings and consolations of that re- 
ligion which he came into the world to establish. 

" The corner-stone to practical religion is the 



88 ADDRESSES. 

Golden Rule. How best to obey its mandate is 
the vital question. We would reflect on no other 
benevolent enterprise. We would discourage no 
beneficent measure. We would say nothing to 
dishearten any man or woman who with good 
motives seeks good ends. We know that many 
paths lead to the same goal. But our conviction, 
our faith, is, that the surest hope of mankind is 
in America. Within our limits, Avithin our reach, 
are gathered representatives of all the races of 
mankind. In our borders are Africans, Asiatics, 
and Europeans. The apostles were told that re- 
pentance and remission of sins should be preached 
among all nations in Christ's name, and they 
were also told that the beginning should be at 
Jerusalem. Is not the meaning and spirit of this 
divine injunction clear and plain ^ This com- 
mand is obeyed by all whose work is done where 
it will accomplish most to win souls from the 
paths of sin to the paths of righteousness. 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 89 

" We rejoice most sincerel}^ in the success of 
our distinguished brother,-'^ who has, with such 
zeal, sagacity, and singleness of purpose, labored 
to raise the splendid contribution of our Church 
for the support of missions at home and abroad. 
We can not, however, forget that the fountain 
from which he draws is and must in the future 
be found, under Providence, in the Christian 
homes of our own beloved land. If, by reason of 
our neglect of home-work, the stream of un- 
christian tendencies from abroad, and the flood 
of indifference and vice of our own country, shall 
overwhelm the institutions of our fathers, the 
missions of every Christian Church, both home 
and foreign, will suffer alike by the common 
calamity. If our eyes are to be gladdened by the 
sight of heathen lands rapidly becoming Christian, 
we must direct our efforts and strain every nerve 



*Rev. C. C. McCabe, D. D., Corresponding Secretary Missionary 
Society, Methodist Kpiscopal Church. 

8 



90 ADDRESSES. 

to protect from heathenism our own land. When 
we see the paganism of other lands — of Asia, of 
Africa, and of Europe — which has poured in upon 
our shores, we must recall the pithy statement 
published in our monthly periodical, JVoma?i's 
Home Missions, that ' nothing can exceed the deg- 
radation of a heathen people whom civilization 
has touched only with its vices.' 

' ' That duty is of highest obligation which is 
nearest in time and place. With America and 
American homes what they should be, we need 
not greatly fear the evils that threaten us from 
other lands. We can easily shun or safely meet 
them, if our duty is faithfully done in behalf of 
the weak, the ignorant, and the needy of our 
own country. If our institutions, social and po- 
litical, are imperiled to-da}^ it is largely because 
the wealthy and the fortunate, engrossed as they 
are in the midst of our vast material progress and 
prosperity, are not sufficiently mindful of what 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 91 

wavS taught by the words and life of the Founder 
of our blessed religion : ' Whatsoever ye would 
that men should do to 3^ou, do ye even so to 
them.' And while we feel so deeply the neces- 
sity and importance of our own work, we would 
pray most earnestly for glorious results in the 
work of our sisters of the Foreign Missionary 
Society. In conclusion, I quote again from 
Wommi's Home Missions : ' The lifting up of the 
lowly of our own country ought to interest every 
man and woman.' " 

XLbc Stitb Bnnual /iReeting 

Occurred at Syracuse, N. Y., October 28 to Novem- 
ber I, 1887. Mrs. Hayes presented her annual 
report, from which we preserved the following 
words : 

''The reports of the several officers of the 
Woman's Home Missionary Society of our Church, 
which will be read before the society during the 



92 ADDRESSES. 

sessions of this Annual Meeting, will sufficientl}^ 
spread before you the work of the past year. It 
remains therefore for me to thank, as I now do, 
our friends in this beautiful cit}^ for the very cor- 
dial welcome they have extended to us, and to 
state, without dwelling upon them, a few of the 
reasons on which the friends of Home Missions 
rest their claim for increased encouragement and 
substantial aid, especially from the devoted mem- 
bers of the Church of our choice. Before doing 
this, I beg leave to repeat from the remarks made 
by me last 3'ear at Detroit a single paragraph: 
Our conviction is, that the best hope for humanity 
is in America. Within our borders and within 
our reach are gathered representatives of all the 
races of mankind. If, by reason of our neglect of 
home-work, the stream of unchristian tendencies 
from abroad, and the flood of indifference and vice 
in our own country, shall overwhelm our cher- 
islicc^ institutions, all missionary work, at home 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 93 

and abroad, will suffer alike by the common 
calamity. 

" The friends of Home Missions rely on fa- 
miliar facts. Not less than five millions of people 
are now added to the population of our country 
in each ten years by emigration from foreign, 
lands. Among them are no doubt persons of 
education, of morality, and of religion, who, in 
spite of want of familiarity with our language 
and institutions, will in good time become valu- 
able citizens without special effort in their behalf. 
As to a multitude of others, it may be truly said 
that the missionary to pagan lands will find noth- 
ing more hostile to Christian civilization than the 
evil influences which immigration brings into the 
very bosom of our American society. Home Mis- 
sions seek to protect our own land from imported 
heathenism. Again, the condition of the emanci- 
pated race in our Southern States still engages 
the attention of the patriot and the philanthropist. 



94 ADDRESSES. 

It is represented by well-informed and consci- 
entious observers that the colored people increase 
more rapidly than the whites in proportion to 
their number, and that the proportion of the ig- 
norant and unchristian does not diminish. The 
facts do not permit us to indulge the hope that 
the Christians of America have done and are 
doing their whole dut}^ with respect to the Africans 
within our own borders and at our own doors. 

" Never before was the progress of settlement 
in our new States and Territories so rapid as it 
is now. The Michigan Conference Home Mis- 
sionary Society recently published an appeal 
which should not be passed by unheeded. Its 
statements as to the situation in the new counties 
of that prosperous and enlightened State are 
equally true of other vast regions in our country. 
The report says an extensive area is largely 
missionary ground. It is rapidly filling up with 
a population mainly of Protestant proclivities, and 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 95 

generally very poor. They are unable to support 
ministers, but they need the gospel, and wish to 
have it preached among them. Many of them 
look to our Church as their religious home. It 
is unjust that missionaries should be sent into 
these difficult fields and allowed oftentimes to 
suffer for the necessaries of life. The Methodist 
Church has been called the Pioneer Church. No 
true Methodist will neglect the pioneer mission- 
work of the Church. I might continue this cata- 
logue. The Indians still claim our attention. 
The cloud of Mormonism which hangs over 
Utah is spreading to other Territories. But I 
have said enough to indicate at least the num- 
ber and magnitude of the demands on our Church 
for missions in our own country. The claims of 
missionary work whose aim is the improvement 
of American homes are attractive and urgent. 
Homes such as they should be, neat, orderly, and 
where punctuality and good methods prevail — in 



96 ADDRESSES. 

short, comfortable Christian homes — tend strongh' 
to train the j^oung to abhor those vices which 
chiefly afflict civihzed societ}^ and to practice 
those virtues which are the best securit}^ of wise 
institutions. Such homes are the fruit of woman's 
work, and the instruction that gives the house- 
hold skill which creates them can be imparted 
onh' by female teachers, workers, and missionaries. 
" In conclusion, ma}- we not sum up the whole 
matter in these few words ? America is ' the 
cradle of the future ' for all the world. The fu- 
ture of America is in her homes, and her homes 
depend on the mothers of America. Hence the 
value and importance of missionary societies 
whose work is done by women in the homes of 
our own beloved country." 




^*>^^illl^^<- 



1^^5^ 



DELIVERED AT THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING, 
BOSTON, MASS., NOVEMBER i, 1888. 

•o^o« 

"Watchman, tell us oi the night." 
Does the need of Home Missions grow less? 
Is the opportunity to do good at the hearth-stones 
of our own land on the wane ? Is the call, is the 
demand for the special work of women in our 
American society, more rarely heard ? The reply 
to these questions is near at hand, and clear 
enough to all who see and consider. 

The necessity, the opportunity, and the de- 
mand for Christian effort are more and more at our 
very door. Even the champions of unbelief in the 
doctrines cherished by our fathers, seeing the tide 
that is coming in upon us, are forced to exclaim, 

" Men can not do without the Christian religion." 

9 97 



98 ADDRESSES. 

We know how " distance lends enchantment 
to the view." And, indeed, the benighted people 
of Africa, of China, of India, and of other pagan 
lands, have claims upon us. None of them should 
be excluded from our thoughts, our prayers, or 
our gifts. But it has been well said — let it be 
repeated and heard in every Christian circle: 
" There are needy souls under our own eyes and 
within reach of our own hands." The significant 
and appalling fact is, that their number is gain- 
ing — largely and rapidly gaining. The most 
casual glance at the elements of our American 
society which are deprived, or at least destitute, 
of Christian privileges, will convince the candid 
observer that this is not an over-statement of the 
evils and perils which it is the aim of this society, 
under Providence, to mitigate, and, if possible, to 
remove. 

It is generally agreed that the Negroes of 
the South are not dying out by reason of the 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 99 

freedom they now enjoy. At their rate of in- 
crease in the past few years, before the end of the 
next century they will exceed in number the total 
present population of the United States. 

Devoted men and women, generous philan- 
thropists, and influential religious organizations 
have labored with zeal and intelligence to uplift 
these wards of the Nation. The Negroes them- 
selves, wherever they have been adequately 
reached, have been more than willing, they have 
been anxious and eager, to accept education 
and true religion. But the lamentable situation 
still remains. The multitude, vast and increas- 
ing, are still in chains to pagan superstition and 
the ignorance and vice of generations of bondage. 

To deal with this condition is Home Mis- 
sionary work in the large general sense ; and to 
deal with it most effectively is to reach family 
life, and to teach correct family habits and true 
family duties. To do this is the peculiar province 



lOO ADDRESSES. 

of women, and the special object of the Woman's 
Home Missionary Society. 

It is not easy to marshal the missionary 
duties of women in the order of their importance. 
Christians can not look, even in the most thought- 
less and careless way, at the map of our country, 
without having their attention fixed by the crime 
against women that now holds Utah, and which 
is spreading almost unchecked in all directions. 
That center of bad influences, moral, social, and 
political — the government and the law — while 
they threaten and condemn, fail utterly to abolish 
or even to control. 

There surely never existed before in the 
bosom of any civilized community such an of- 
fense against women, and such a crime against 
the home. If any one asks the reason for Home 
Missions, organized and managed by women, 
Mormonism in Utah furnishes the answer. 

The influences and elements of population 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. loi 

brought into our country from abroad, and the 
questions arising out of immigration, have under- 
gone vast changes during recent years. These 
changes are not friendly to American institutions. 
For the most part, in the first century after the 
Declaration of Independence immigrants were 
from the most civilized nations of Europe, and 
were seeking liberty and land for homes. Now, 
however, an increasing number come or are 
brought from the less enlightened European na- 
tions and from heathen countries, seeking simply 
better wages, and caring little or nothing for land 
or homes. The}' are sadly lacking in education 
and religion, and are by no means well fitted for 
the citizenship of a republic. Their great defi- 
ciency is the want of home-life and a due and 
practical regard for women. How can their needs 
be better supplied than by means of missions, 
under the direction of the women of our Churches? 
No part of the inhabitants of the United 



T02 ADDRESSES, 

States are nearer to the hearts of the members of 
the Methodist Church than our own countrymen, 
the patriotic Americans who have crowded in such 
numbers to our Western frontier settlements from 
Mexico to British America. No one of the old 
States contains so large a proportion of the vet- 
erans of the Union army and of their wives and 
children. Never before were so man}^ American 
citizens braving the hardships and privations of 
pioneer life as may now be found on our wideh* 
extended frontiers. 

Our Church, with an instinctive foresight of 
the future of the West, has built a host of 
churches, and sent out her ministers to do and to 
suffer in the wilderness. The story of the Meth- 
odist preacher on his circuit in the forest, on the 
plains, and in the mountains, is rarely heard and 
little known in the old and prosperous States. 
One hundred dollars a year for the minister, his 
wife, and the little ones, often in a cold climate, 



LUCY WEBB HAYES. 103 

where almost everything is lacking, and where 
all things are costly, it has been truly said, is 
barely enough, not to live upon, but to starve 
upon. Could all our good friends read the grate- 
ful letters coming from devoted clergymen when 
the box or barrel of the Woman's Home Mission 
is received, this part of the work of our society 
would gain a much needed impetus, fruitful of 
beneficent results. 

The appointed work of our society reaches 
also the neglected poor of the cities, the Spanish 
Americans, the Indians, and other children of 
misfortune. I need not for my present purpose 
try to complete the catalogue of our aims. Our 
objects and our methods, after full consideration, 
have been sanctioned by the highest authority of 
the Church and the General Conference, and they 
are approved by the bishops. 

The vital question is, Shall this society have 
an increasing and hearty support ? Our appeal is 



T04 ADDRESSES. 

to the clergy and the membership of the Church. 
The clergy and the Church depend under Provi- 
dence, in some measure at least, on the women 
of their congregations. With confidence, there- 
fore, we invoke their aid in our efforts to carry 
the gospel of Christ to the "needy souls at our 
very doors." 




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